Inland Revenue Staff (Hansard, 19 January 1978)

§ Mr. Robert Sheldon

The figures are given in the following table:

	Staff in post at end of year^*	Estimated number of taxpayers†('000s)	Number or staff per 10,000 taxpayers
1944–45	35,745	14,500	25
1945–46	43,848	15,250	29
1946–47	49,283	14,000	35
1947–48	49,266	14,600	34
1948–49	49,507	14,500	34
1949–50	49,759	15,050	33
1950–51	52,998	15,800	34
1951–52	53,260	16,150	33
1952–53	51,756	15,400	34
1953–54	51,653	15,900	32
1954–55	50,533	16,550	31
1955–56	51,493	16,300	32
1956–57	51,466	17,100	30
1957–58	52,214	17,350	30
1958–59	52,981	17,690	30
1959–60	55,672	18,370	30
1960–61	58,168	19,250	30
1961–62	57,253	19,850	29
1962–63	58,270	20,130	29
1963–64	58,022	17,810	33
1964–65	57,708	18,490	31
1965–66	59,518	19,330	31
1966–67	62,700	19,960	32
1967–68	65,714	20,010	33
1968–69	65,468	20,720	32
1969–70	68,632	20,570	33
1970–71	69,791	20,040	35
1971–72	71,954	19,680	37
1972–73	70,713	18,930	37
1973–74	69,802	19,810	35
1974–75	74,196	20,530	36
1975–76	80,285	20,950	38
1976–77	83,885	21,150‡	40
1977–78	84,963	20,400‡	42
^*These are the numbers of permanent staff at 1st April in each year (3rd January for 1978). They do not include staff serving on short period engagements but do include staff, particularly in the valuation offices, who are not normally concerned with the assessment and collection of the direct taxes.
†These are the numbers paying income tax married couples being counted as one, but excluding companies. Most of those paying the other direct taxes, capital gains tax, estate duty etc., also pay income tax but the numbers who do not are not known. This therefore appears to be the best estimate that can be made of the number of people paying direct taxes. The figures do not reflect the substantial growth in the number liable to income tax at the higher rates and to the investment income surcharge, and in the number of working wives.
‡Provisional.